Landscape Ireland- Spring 2009 by Vidhya Mohankumar

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N u a c h t l i t i r O i f i g i ú i l I n s t i t i ú i d A i litirí Tírdhreacha na hÉireann, Earrach 2009

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LANDSCAPE Ireland is the official journal of the Irish Landscape Institute. The Irish Landscape Institute is the representative body for Landscape professionals in Ireland. The Irish Landscape Institute is affiliated to the European Foundation for Landscape Architecture (EFLA) and the International Federation of Landscape Architects.

P 04 News & Events

S P E C I A L

F E A T U R E S

P 08 World Landscape Architecture Month Exhibition

Editorial: Irish Landscape Institute PO Box 11068 Dublin 2

P 16 Norway’s Wooden Heart

Ph + 353 1 6627409 Email ili@irishlandscapeinstitute.com visit

C O N T E N T S

P 17 Reflections: Gerry Mitchell

www.irishlandscapeinstitute.com

P 24 Diane Nickels; an appreciation

Editorial Committee: Daibhí Mac Domhnaill MILI Deirdre Black MILI Margaret Egan MILI

P 28 Holy Cities of India

R E G U L A R S

P 32 Limerick on Shannon

Cover Montage: Trachycarpus palms at the Dun Laoghaire Ferry Terminal plaza; by D. Mac Domhnaill, original photo by Dermot Foley.

P 07 An t-Eagarthóir P 34 On Location: South Bank Brisbane P 37 Project Profile: Revenue Comissioner’s Listowel P 38 Book Reviews P 40 Classifieds

The Official Journal of the Irish Landscape Institute, Summer 2007

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New Landscape Programme launched in University of Ulster The University of Ulster has just launched a post graduate programme in landscape architecture. The first intake of students will be September 2008. The Masters in Landscape Architecture (MLA) is offered full time or part time. For candidates with a primary degree in landscape architecture the MLA takes one year (full time), for those with a primary degree in a related discipline the degree will take two years. Both options are offered full time and part time. The course will be located on the Belfast campus of the University of Ulster. This programme has been developed in consultation with the northern chapter of the Landscape Institute (LI) and will be accredited by the LI. The external evaluation panel comprises: - Karen Foley MILI (School of Architecture Landscape and Civil Engineering UCD) - Jeff Logsdon (Head of School of Design, Writtle) - Sally Visick (Principal of Designs Matter, Belfast)

For further details contact: Emily Hadden School of Architecture and Design University of Ulster Belfast campus Belfast BT15 1ED http://prospectus.ulster.ac.uk/

ILI Graduate Design Award 2008 Daryl Flood was presented with the ILI Graduate Design Award for 2008. Each year the Irish landscape Institute presents a design award to the University College Dublin (UCD) undergraduate landscape architecture student who achieves the highest results in the final year design studio.

U C D c l ass of 2008

From left to right: Declan Keane, David Gibson, Danielle Martin, Shirley Lazenby, Michael Heurich (Lecturer UCD), Rachel Phelan, Emma McCarthy, Vincent O´Brien, Richard Connor, Robin Meredith, David Freeland and Charlie Robinson.

Iris oifigiúil Institiúid Ailitirí Tírdhreacha na hÉireann, Earrach 2009

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More greenspace can climate proof cities Scientists looking at the effect global warming will have on our major cities say a modest increase in the number of urban parks and street trees could offset decades of predicted temperature rises. A University of Manchester study has calculated that a mere 10% increase in the amount of green space in builtup centres could reduce urban surface temperatures by as much as 4°C. This 4°C drop in temperature, which is equivalent to the average predicted rise through global warming by the 2080s, is caused by the cooling effect of water as it evaporates into the air from leaves and vegetation through a process called transpiration. “Green space collects and retains water much better than the built environment,” explained Dr Roland Ennos, a biomechanics expert in Manchester’s Faculty of Life Sciences and a lead researcher in the team. As this water evaporates from the leaves of plants and trees it cools the surrounding air in a similar way to the cooling effect of perspiration as it evaporates from our skin.” Taking Greater Manchester as their model, the team used Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping to build up a picture of the conurbation’s land use. The team then worked out the impact that increasing the amount of green space would have on the urban climate as well as on water retention. “Urban areas can be up to 12°C warmer than more rural surroundings due to the heat given off by buildings, roads and traffic, as well as reduced evaporative cooling, in what is commonly referred to as an ‘urban heat island’,” said

Dr Ennos, who worked on the project with Professor John Handley and Dr Susannah Gill in the School of Environment and Development. “We discovered that a modest increase of 10% green space reduced surface temperatures in the urban environment by 4°C, which would overcome temperature rises caused by global warming over the next 75 years, effectively ‘climate proofing’ our cities. “Such a reduction has important implications for human comfort and health within urban areas and opportunities need to be taken to increase green space cover wherever structural changes are occurring within urban areas, as well as planting street trees or developing green roofs.” “By the 2080s, our summers will be hotter and drier but winters are predicted to become wetter,” said Dr Ennos. “An extreme wet winter’s day by the 2080s will deliver almost 50% more rain than is currently experienced. Based on an existing model, we have calculated that these more powerful storms would increase the amount of run-off from urban areas by more than 80%. Unfortunately, increasing the amount of green space only has a limited effect in reducing run-off and so flash flooding will become an increasing problem in our cities. “Conversely, the warmer, drier summer months will reduce the amount of water available to plants and, during the longer droughts, this will reduce transpiration with its associated cooling effect. In order for the cooling effect of green spaces to work when it is most needed, cities would need to develop ways to store additional water, which could then be used to irrigate the green spaces during drier months.”

F a th e r C ol l i n s P a r k of f i c i a l op e n i n g The official opening of Father Collins Park takes plaes at 11.00am on Wednesday May 27th. The park will be offically opend by the Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr. Eibhlin Byrne.

The Official Journal of the Irish Landscape Institute, Spring 2009

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D e r m ot Foley Land scape Architects r e c og n ised in Architecture Awards 2009 Joyce’s Court a new pedestrian street designed by Dermot Foley Landscape Architects recieved a special mention in the Architectural Association of Ireland Awards for 2009. Joyce’s Court links Talbot and Foley Street in Dublin city centre. It is one of several new pedestrian connections developed in the north city centre in recent years following on the from the highly successful Quartier Bloom. The street is considered in terms of the medieval application of materials with a simple, modern alignment of furniture and lighting. The street is designed to allow full access to fire tender vehicles and the specification, therefore, is robust. The dark tones and deep textures of the street surfaces are absorptive to compliment the deep voids in the facades. Shimmer and lightness is restricted to a single flowering pear tree, lighting and stainless steel fittings. The street benefits from foreshortening and enclosure at the north Joyce’s Court at night; photo by Paul Tierney

with the park at Foley Street and to the south with the railway bridge. Functional requirements such as ventilation were carefully considered and designed into ‘bespoke’ furniture. Small format paving was used to deal with level changes and irregular edges and to provide a simple texture, within which a strip of large format, dense, granite is placed. The overall area is 640 sqm. The project was completed in September 2008. The architects for the project are HKR and the project was developed by Albion Enterprises Ltd.

Plan; by kind permission DFLA

Bench with ventilation detail; by kind permission DFLA

Iris oifigiúil Institiúid Ailitirí Tírdhreacha na hÉireann, Earrach 2009

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Little did we know at the time how much last year’s Exhibition of Contemporary Landscape Architecture in Ireland would encapsulate the ‘Tiger Years’. Certainly the housing slowdown was well underway, but we hoped to readjust and looked forward to the possibility of a greater focus on public works. Job vacancies were being advertised on the Institute website, landscape architects were being head hunted. What we didn’t realise was that we were on the edge of the sharpest downturn in the history of our profession.

One of the surprises of the Exhibition was the eclecticism of design styles. This perhaps belies the absence as yet of a localised or Irish school of landscape design. Is this symptomatic of a community of designers and intellectuals in the first flushes, experimenting and sampling from many sources and the import-export nature of a globalised design profession, or the representation of a tribal, many faceted national style? Time and further exhibitions of Irish Landscape Architecture will tell.

For An tEagarthóir, the Dun Laoghaire Ferry Terminal plaza by Mitchell & Associates provides an appropriate starting bookend to this period. The Ferry Terminal Plaza was the first project of the era to achieve meaningful recognition outside of the landscape profession. It drew attention not only to the project authors but to the profession of landscape architecture as a whole. Here was a project designed by landscape architects that was not a piece of designed greenery, but a robust urban space. As a scheme it was unmistakeably contemporary, international and trendy, a beacon for a young profession. Gerry Mitchell regards this project as a major turning point in the progression of Mitchell & Associates who were to become synonymous within Ireland with urban public space design.

The current situation sees us bidding bon voyage to many of best and brightest as our profession inevitably downsizes for the immediate term. The past months have been punctuated with numerous farewells to colleagues who have illuminated our workplaces and lives during the Tiger Years - a time when the community of landscape professionals enlarged and transformed into a rich tapestry of nationalities and cultures.

The 2008 Exhibition was notable for the scale of projects being undertaken both in terms of budget and site coverage and the considerable investment in public space within urban centres. Such a range, scale and quality of work could not have been assembled ten years previously. We have in Father Collins Park and Adamstown the re-emergence of a tradition slumbering from Victorian times; the making of large new city parks. Most importantly, the exhibition had a strong international dimension - Irish projects of an internationally recognised standard in both design and execution; such as O’Connell St, John Roberts Square and projects authored by off shore practices of International repute; Grand Canal Square by Martha Swarthz and Royal Canal Linear Park by Agence Ter. The Exhibition also captured the role of Irish landscape architects in land use planning and policy formulation, in particular the Cork Docklands LAP and Seascape Assessment by Brady Shipman Martin and The Shannon Waterways Corridor Study by Cunnane Stratton Reynolds.

As the dramatic slide subsides and we reach a new calmer reality, collectively and individually we will dust ourselves down and face into a new era. Despite present set backs, landscape architects will maintain a long term perspective and continue to deliver quality, rigour and innovation, even if on reduced incomes. The challenge for us all collectively and through the Landscape Institute will be to remain integrated and central within development, design and planning processes and where possible seek out new briefs. The resurgence in urban agriculture is one such emerging arena in which landscape architects can play a critical role in design and planning, likewise the need for green infrastructure retrofitting of many of the new quasi-urban landscapes smouldering at the edges of our cities, towns and villages. The relationship between private and public sector Landscape Institute members is now more than ever of great importance, between us keeping landscape at the core of place making, and making the most of the opportunities thrown up by the creation of a new order.

The Official Journal of the Irish Landscape Institute, Spring 2009

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Green Minister opens Exhibition of Contemporary Landscape Architecture in Ireland

Visitors viewing display panels at the exhibition launch, photo by: Ewa Cieslikowska

The Irish Landscape Institute Exhibition of Contemporary Landscape Architecture in Ireland enjoyed a well atended and successful launch. The exhbition was formally open by Minsiter for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government; John Gormley. In his address Minister Gormley stated that; “when it comes to discussion on quality of built environment it sometimes focuses exclusively on the quality of buildings themselves. There is another critical element and that is the quality of spaces between buildings or within which buildings are sited - whether it is the street, square or plaza, garden or park, these elements are also fundamental to our enjoyment of the built environment, and this, I believe, is where the special contribution is made by landscape architecture”.

Minsiter Gormley outlined new departmental initiativces with regard to landscape and the built environment including; “a survey of Historic Gardens and Designed Landscapes - identifying gardens that survive in Ireland and the extent of their survival. The first phase of the survey was published in November 2006 and it includes over 6,000 records of historic gardens and designed landscapes – all in an online searchable inventory”. Minister Gormley described how the survey sites were identified using 1st edition Ordnance Survey maps which were then compared with current aerial photography to assess the level of survival and change, the results presenting “a fascinating snapshot of how the country has changed over the last 150 years”. Minister Gormley stated that “the incorporation in the Programme for Government of a commitment to introduce

Iris oifigiúil Institiúid Ailitirí Tírdhreacha na hÉireann, Earrach 2009

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At the exihibition launch from left to right; Minister John Gormley, Deirdre Black; Presidant ILI and Kieran O’Neill Vice President ILI, photo by Ewa Cieslikowska

a National Landscape Strategy is clear recognition of the need to protect one of our most valuable natural assets”and “will deliver on objectives of the European Landscape Convention which aims to promote landscape protection, management and planning”. The exhibition launch was attended by over 120 Insititute members and guests, including representatives of The Heritage Council and The Irish Planning Institute. This is the first time the Irish Landscape Institute has held an open public exhibition and the first to showcase the full spectrum of the work of Landscape Architects in the Irish Environment.

Foley described how “such an exhibition would not have been possible 10 years ago and the exhibition represents the significant advancements made by the professsion in Ireland”. The exhibition will ran from April 21st-25th and April 28th May 2nd, in the Atrium of Dublin City Council, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin. Exhibition Comittee: Rachel Murphy Daibhí Mac Domhnaill MILI Margaret Egan MILI Mette Roesgaard MILI

Attendees at the launch commonly remarked on the rich diversity of work on display. Landscape architect Dermot

The Official Journal of the Irish Landscape Institute, Spring 2009

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Exhibition of C on t e m p or a r y Landscape Arc h i t e c t u r e i n I r e l a n d

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Backweston Labs Mitchell & Associates

Dromroe Village, Limerick Brady Shipman Martin

Attitudes towards the appearance of settlements in the rural landscape, Karen Foley

Seascapes Assessment Brady Shipman Martin

Analysis of Rural Settlement Trends and Patterns, Dan Gilbert, UCD

Postgraduate Programme University College Dublin

Cork South Docks Brady Shipman Martin

Undergraduate Programme University College Dublin

Poolbeg Project; The Third Alignment Camlin Lonsdale

ECOS Centre, Ballymena WDR & RT Taggart

Undergraduate Programme University College Dublin

Omagh Bombing; Memorial and Garden, Desmond Fitzgerald

Iris oifigiúil Institiúid Ailitirí Tírdhreacha na hÉireann, Earrach 2009

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Lifford and Strabane River Regeneration Mouchel Ireland Ltd.

Northern Quarter, Dublin Bernard Seymour

Limerick City Centre Streetscapes Nicolas de Jong

Phoenix Park, Dublin Office of Public Works

Limerick City Quays Nicolas de Jong

John Roberts Square, Waterford Bernard Seymour

Tralee Town Square Nicolas de Jong

The Old Waterworks, Cork Bernard Seymour

Dublin City Council; Parks and Landscape Services Division

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Exhibition of C on t e m p or a r y Landscape Arc h i t e c t u r e i n I r e l a n d

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Shannon Waterways Corridor Study Cunnane Stratton Reynolds

Carlow Town Park Murray & Associates

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown; Parks and Landscape Services Dept (1 of 2)

EMO International Garden Festival Remi Salles

M7 Portlaoise by-pass Murray & Associates

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown; Parks and Landscape Services Dept (2 of 2)

Whiteacre Park, Ballymun, Dublin Cunnane Stratton Reynolds

Adamstown Public Parks, Dublin Foley & Salles

Ballyfermot Civic Park, Dublin Cunnane Stratton Reynolds

Riiverside II, Dublin Docklands Dermot Foley

Iris oifigiúil Institiúid Ailitirí Tírdhreacha na hÉireann, Earrach 2009

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Grand Canal Sq, Dublin Docklands Martha Swarthz

Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin Mitchell & Associates

DDDA Playspace Guidelines Mitchell & Associates

Royal Canal Linear Park, Dublin Agence Ter

Eyre Square, Galway Mitchell & Associates

Newcastle Promenade, Co. Down Scott Wilson

Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell St., Dublin Mitchell & Associates

Sculpture in the Parklands, Co. Offaly, Dermot Foley

Fr.Collins Park, Dublin Magahy & Co.

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The ILI wish to thank the exhibition sponsors for their generous support:

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Norway’s Wooden Heart by Eugnene Boyle At first glance the structures in the grounds of Bergenhus in the Norwegian town of Bergen, look like a delivery of wood for a building site, however on closer examination the structures all have a symmetry and stability that negates the initial impression. Constructed from 50mm by 50mm slats of Norwegian Spruce, they are the result of five days of hard work by 18 teams from Europe and beyond.

competition is a natural extension of the Scandinavian love for timber and a natural fusion of industrial and education innovation. They were invited on foot of participation of Aidan Burke, Eugene Boyle and Michael Lyons in 2006 and built on their spontaneous approach which they believe allowed greater innovation and invention than more formally planned pieces.

The Bergen International Wood Festival promotes the use of timber in design and construction and runs every two years, facilitating a convivial get together of people with a shared interest in innovative use of wood. With the global focus now on sustainability the events approach takes on a whole new dimension, pushing the barriers of traditional design and building skill. Only on its second outing, the event looks like it will become a permanent fixture.

The Irish teams of 2006 and 2008 were assisted by COFORD (Irish National Council for Forestry Research and Development) who are collaborating on similar initiatives in Ireland encompassing research and knowledge transfer with strategic partners across the E.U. to stimulate debate around innovative use of timber, sustainable materials and construction methods.

Ireland’s 2008 team included Eugene Boyle, Oliver Mc Cormack and Brian O’Loughlin. Eugene an architect with ESB International is a second time veteran of the event and is in no doubt of the benefits of the festival in promoting a multi-disciplinary approach to sustainability, drawing the three member teams from the worlds of design, art, sculpture and construction. As a renewable building material timber has natural strengths, the process forces the participants to focus on these and innovate practices that can be adopted in future use of wood for varied application scales and contexts. The

2008 entry, photo by Jakob Bekker-Hansen

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The final products remained on display at the Bergenhus for a number of weeks allowing the public and tourists alike to enjoy the shapes and beauty of wood in an unconventional context. The eighteen finished pieces clearly show they are no random falling of wooden slats, but art and nature in harmony. Eugene Boyle is an architect with ESB International. Eugene has organised Irish participation and collaborated at Bergen International Wood Festival in 2006 & 2008. Contact: www.woodcollective.ie

2006 entry, photo by Pål Hoff

Iris oifigiúil Institiúid Ailitirí Tírdhreacha na hÉireann, Earrach 2009

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Re f l e c t i o n s :

Gerry Mitchell

Above Gerry Mitchell photographed at the Dun Laoighaire Ferry Terminal, photo by Dermot Foley

Reflections is a new regular feature where Landscape Ireland meet with esteemed landscape professionals that have made significant and valuable contributions in the field of landscape design, research and management within Ireland. Gerry Mitchell is the founding director of Mitchell & Associates. The folllowing article is based on the transcripts of an interview with Gerry during April 2009. Did you always want to be a Landscape I started out studying architecture and graduated from UCD in 1967. My interest in landscape architecture evolved as an extension of my architecture studies. At the time the “international style” was dominant, there was little emphasis on local context or site planning. I however was more interested in how to place the building on the site and how it should fit into its receiving environment. On graduating I worked with Scott Tallon Walker for a year and then left to study landscape architecture at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), following in the footsteps of Jim Fehily and Philip Shipman (whom I had met at a social gathering). Of course at the time there was no awareness amongst architects in Ireland of Landscape Architecture; it was terra incognita. However Scott Tallon Walker had left open the opportunity for me to return and establish a landscape architecture practice within the firm. The first thing I learnt about landscape architecture was that it was not an extension of architecture but a discipline in

its own right. Actually I found landscape architecture much more interesting and rewarding as it is a very broad church encompassing a vast range of scale, project types and situations. The landscape program at Penn was cutting edge for its time, being one of only a few landscape architecture schools. The program was lead by Ian McHarg; an inspirational figure who is well known today as the author of Design by Nature, a canon of not only landscape architecture but for all the built environment professions. McHarg’s thesis of designing the built environment with regard to natural processes was radical for its time and confronted the hegemony of the ‘International Style’. So much of our theory and practice today such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and sieve mapping emanates from McHarg’s teaching. There were only twenty of us on the course and half of us were foreign students. McHarg would take on real life projects for our studios, this of course gave a social setting to our design studio which was stimulating, but had its drawbacks in perhaps limiting our conceptual scope as the solutions had to be acceptable and implementible. I graduated form Penn in 1970 and spent another 2 years working with a local practice Collins DuTot (now Delta Group). The work was great with lots of large scale master planning work for industrial and educational campuses. In particular I enjoyed working on the New York State University campus in Rochester. I returned to Ireland in 1972 and took up where I left off in

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Scott Tallon Walker. I stayed there for three years and took the RIAI (professional practice) exams and became an associate. I was primarily working as an architect designing factories and overseeing construction. This was frustrating and opportunities to practice landscape architecture were limited to a small number of planting designs. The most substantial landscape project I undertook at Scott Tallon Walker was the RTE campus. We had a substantial budget for tree planting. But unfortunately in those days there was no semi- mature nursery stock and many of the trees planted were pulled from commercial forests. At the time I began to practice in Ireland there was little or no work for landscape architects. Brady Shipman Martin had a portfolio of primarily landscape planning projects such as the National Coastline Study. Any work available tended to be for private clients, this was in stark contrast at the time to Northern Ireland; where considerable work was generated through the Housing Executive and the Craigavon Commission. Down south all the public realm work was being undertaken in house by the local authority engineers and Parks Departments. Unfortunately at the time all of the master planning and site planning work was undertaken by architects and any landscape inputs tended to be limited to planting at the end of the process, which of course is ‘lipstick on a gorilla’. On leaving Scott Tallon Walker I went into practice with Jim Murphy an architect who was teaching in UCD. Initially I joined on the basis of an architectural commission. This fell through, but luckily enough we were comissioned to prepare a Reclamation Plan for a proposed open cast lead/zinc mine near Navan. The project was never realised due to local opposition, but it was good experience getting to work with international specialists and a precursor to the multi-specialist teams we are now familiar with from EIAs. After this we reverted to primarily planting design work, which was all that was available. I went alone for a short time between1978-81 before setting up a partnership; Mitchell O’Muire Smyth. There was very little work in Ireland during the 1980’s. I had begun teaching architecture part time in the Dublin

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institute of Technology (DIT) where I was the 4th year studio master. Teaching I found very useful, it sharpens your wits, I kept it up for ten years. I have always felt my greatest skill in life was for teaching. However it is difficult to teach design full time as you become stale and detached from practice. I probably spent too long teaching, as it was affecting my capacity to develop the practice. It was also a horrendous workload balancing teaching and private practice, requiring twelve hour days six days a week. During the eighties I did some work in Saudi Arabia, I was commissioned by ARAMCO (Arab American Oil Company) to masterplan a new town called Dallah Road. A condition of ARAMCO was that if you master planned something you didn’t build it, so our involvement ended there. We were also commissioned to design a 12 kilometre long linear park along the bottom of a wadii on the outskirts of Riyadh. We had the park fully designed for construction; but unfortunately it never went ahead. In 1988 I left Mitchell O’Muire Smyth and setup on my own again; starting out with only one employee and working solely as a landscape architect. Things were slow for the early years. One of the first major breakthroughs was when we were commissioned to work on Carton Demesne in the early 1990’s. Carton was the only designated conserved landscape at the time (Kildare Development Plan) and was one of the first planning applications subject to a full EIA and later an Oral Hearing on appeal to Bord Pleánnala. We were breaking new ground in that a strategic landscape approach was shaping a hotel and golf resort development; for example we insisted on the golf course being located out of view from the front of Carton House to protect the integrity of the historic landscape. Similarly housing was limited to wooded areas on the periphery of the demesne. We have undertaken a succession of similar projects since right up the present day with Farnham House in Cavan. Designing the plaza at the Ferry terminal in Dun Laoghaire was another major turning point. PH McCarthy Engineer’s were the lead consultants on the project and had initially only allowed for a macadam surfacing on the roof of a car-park to the front of the terminal entrance. We suggested we could do better and took it from there. The

Iris oifigiúil Institiúid Ailitirí Tírdhreacha na hÉireann, Earrach 2009

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Westport 2000, image by kind permisison of Mitchell & Associates

Dun Laoghaire Ferry Terminal, image by kind permisison of Mitchell & Associates

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Eyre Sq, Galway, photo by D. Mac Domhnaill

big design decision we made was to enclose the space with a wall and turn the plaza away from the sea, thus creating a south facing space sheltered from the sea breeze just as the harbour walls do. This of course was controversial at the time, but I believe it works well. It was the first public space constructed in Dun Laoghaire in over 150 years. We got a lot of positive publicity from that project, most memorably a half page article by Frank McDonald in the Irish Times. I think that was a catalyst for us in getting subsequent public realm commissions such as Dublin’s Henry St. and Shop St. in Galway. As the economy grew so did our practice and the landscape architecture profession. There is simply no comparison between then and now. In 1993 I was president of the Irish Chapter of the Institute of Landscape Architects. We had only eight full members. At the time we were amalgamating with the Institute of Landscape Horticulture of Ireland; to form the Irish Landscape institute. Today I understand the institute has over two hundred members. Eyre Sq was a very difficult project. From the beginning we were under the intense scrutiny of a number of local interest

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groups and individuals who had their own very strong views. We came in for heavy and at times unfair and unjustified criticism at each stage of the project. One issue that was blown out of proportion was the removal of some Norway Maples from the top of the square. The project was appealed to An Bord Pleánala, and an oral hearing was held. Then the construction phase threw up further difficulties, the contractor was dismissed and replaced and the project completion was delayed (see LANDSCAPE IRELAND, Spring 2006). On the O’Connell Street project we again came in for heavy criticism for removing the existing Plane trees and a friend of mine coined the nickname; Logger Mitchell. We felt the Plane trees were poor specimens and it was better to open up the street, similar to how it appears in old prints. Despite protests the client stood by our decision. Our other big suggestion on O’Connell St was the creation of the civic room fronting the GPO. Ideally this space should be fully pedestrianised, but we had to accommodate the bus and traffic lanes and disguise these by carrying uniform surface treatment across the full width of the street. Public realm projects are generally very challenging and not

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O’Connell St. Dublin, photo by D. Mac Domhnaill

helped by the degree to which they can become politicised. Minority opinions can become amplified and unserious opinions can gather more weight than serious or professional opinions.

of what we can contribute. We undertook a similar study on the King’s Island area of Limerick City Centre.

In intensely busy public spaces a lot of the investment is spent on redirecting underground services and traffic management. On Eyre Sq the total spend was €9 million. However the visible hard and soft landscape works only accounted for only €2.7 million of this.

A great frustration for me has always been the lack of understanding especially amongst clients and architects of the role of the landscape architect. There is often a resistance from architects to delegate design responsibility and sometimes an attitude that with a bit more technical knowledge they could do better themselves. This is slowly changing for the better, but is still a problem.

A major coup for us was being awarded the Westport 2000 study with the late Brian Meehan (town planner). We developed an urban design and land use strategy for the entire town; an area that went from virgin countryside, to a high quality historic demesne, a planned town centre and suburban sprawl. It was a very ambitious and effective project, forming the basis for statutory development plans and as a design template for developments. Most of the backland sites we developed frameworks for have since been redeveloped and likewise many of the public realm proposals to varying degrees of quality. For a landscape architect to be given this level of responsibility was fantastic and a very good example

The holy grail for the landscape architect is to be fully integrated in the design process from the very inception of a project. Nowhere is this better achieved than in the US, where the landscape architect is normally given responsibility for the site planning of a project. Too often I have been called to meetings with architects and the site plan is already frozen. I feel landscape architecture is really an American invention and arose out of the need to foster environmental quality in the rapidly expanding cities of the 19th and 20th centuries. In the US landscape architects have strong technical training and learn more civil engineering skills whilst in Europe landscape architecture has evolved largely from traditions

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of horticulture, garden design and fine art. As a result a lot of contemporary work is whimsical versus functional. I think it’s the linkage in public perception of landscape architecture with gardening and garden design that causes the most trouble. This came to the fore during the Eyre Sq project where celebrity garden designers were criticising our proposals suggesting they could do better. The best urban spaces offer flexibility of use and many of the best spaces are so subtle one doesn’t realise how good they are. Of course there is tremendous pressure on designers to produce the wow image as part of a branding just as there is for architects. I hate to see landscape architecture descend into what is effectively set design or hair dressing. I remember when teaching architecture I used to tell the students that as a follower of Mies Van Der Rohe you can take a ‘Farnsworth House’ stick it in the Arctic and pump it full of warm air, not an efficient solution but it works. Landscape on the other hand grows out of place. I believe landscape architects have to principally concern themselves with function and comfort. Presently there is a lot of discussion of energy efficient design and sustainability, and technological improvement and innovative materials. For me designing for energy efficiency begins with the site plan. Heroes and role models? As a young architect my heroes were Louis Kahn and Mies Ven Der Rohe. Louis Kahn lectured in Penn when I was there and I used to gatecrash the lectures. Luis Barragan was also a visiting critic during my time in Penn. In terms of landscape architecture I was very impressed with the work of Sylvia Crowe and Brenda Colvin. I have always had great admiration for the subtly of Danish design in general. I have followed with great interest the work of Dieter Kiennast. There is a beautiful calmness to his work. A project I admire very much is the Woodland Cemetery in Stockholm designed by Gunnar Asplund; it is directly aligned with the tradition of Capability Brown. Projects of more recent vintage I admire are the Plaza del Sol in Barcelona, the Deportation Memorial on Ile de France in Paris and the Schouwbergplein in Rotterdam despite its indiosynchracies.

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Did you see the credit crunch coming? About a year before I retired from the practice (2008) I felt there was something wrong, in particular I remember reading about the sub prime issue and its likely global reach. There were a lot of missed opportunities with the boom, as a society we had never experienced such an exposure to rapid urban expansion. We didn’t know as a society how to control it, largely because up to recently we were a dominantly rural people. It was interesting how overseas practices were able to do projects here and do so very effectively as they had experience of these conditions. A problem during the boom was that we were under resourced and under time pressure to deliver and therefore the design quality suffered. Towards the end of the boom we did start to get our act to together, but unfortunately its hard to undo the mistakes. We will have to live with a lot of poor quality urbanisation. Where will you be 10 years from now? I still work two days a month for Mitchell & Associates and aside from that I am still looking for new opportunities. I would like to work or teach in the far east. I have spent some time recently in Beijing. It surprised me, it’s a very green city, full of well designed and well maintained public parks. As for Ireland we still need a lot of infrastructure but at the same time we have developments built of questionable viability. If you were twenty years younger how would you go about surviving the present recession? If I was thirty years younger and committed to my career I would probably emigrate. However twenty years ago I was already deeply committed here both professionally and personally. Any regrets? Yes … I never had my own television programme !!!

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Diane Nickels An Appreciation “That is the best portfolio and resume that I have ever received, in all my years running a landscape practice”, That was the reaction of Chris Stratton of The Landscape Partnership and Cunnane Stratton Reynolds(CSR), when we sat down to review the application from Diane Nickels following my first meeting with her in January 2001. We were slowly expanding the landscape team and Diane was in the process of returning to Ireland after several years working in Hong Kong and was calling into various practices around Dublin to see if there were any opportunities. We met for an informal chat and presentation of her experience. It was an obvious choice, we needed someone of experience, discipline and talent to lead our embryonic landscape design team. Diane had all of these in spades, a quiet determination and professionalism, and a charming and witty personality. Born in Belfast in March, 1966 to parents Gaile and Campbell, Diane Attended Strathearn School before selecting Landscape Architecture in Manchester University. She attended what was then Manchester Polytechnic between 1983 – 87 and obtained BA (Hons), Class 2.2. Diane was a hugely creative and imaginative person. She was always bursting full of ideas, not only in her work but in all areas of her life. She had a real passion for design generally. She believed strongly that outdoor spaces had to be designed and conceived, rather than just “decorating” the spaces left between buildings. Even though she loved working through the details of a scheme, she really saw the practice of landscape architecture as manipulating the big picture of the urban realm. From the outset of her career she worked on large, high profile projects – including the hugely popular tourist attraction Granada Studio Tours whilst at BDP in Manchester.

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She also benefited from working in the multi-disciplinary office environment there. After completing her studies she worked at Derek Lovejoy Partnership, where she delighted in the opportunities presented by designing large scale park masterplans at Parque de Salburua in Vittoria, Spain, and Nanatsudo Park, Mito City, Japan, and also in seeing her designs constructed at the Ebbw Vale National Garden Festival 1992. Between 1992 and 1994 Diane moved with her architect husband Peter, to Hong Kong. Following a brief return to Britain they returned again to Hong Kong in 1997. During her time spent working in Hong Kong, Diane really revelled in the scale, speed and sheer quantity of projects that she was involved in. This exposed her to a huge amount of professional experience in a relatively short space of time. She delighted in being able to use such an exotic palette of plant species and the high quality materials demanded by these projects. She learned to work incredibly efficiently and in a highly organised way to be able to cope with the huge workload demands. During this time Diane and Peter travelled widely in South East Asia.

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Diane worked for two of the largest and most respected landscape architecture practices in Hong Kong – Urbis (199294) and ACLA (1997-2000). Her most notable completed projects from these most prolific periods include; • The landscaping of Hong Kong International airport (one of the largest softworks contracts ever let in Hong Kong) • Two large urban parks, at Tsing Yi and Quarry Bay • High quality resort developments at Lotus Hill Golf resort in China and the Villa Esplanada waterfront residential development at Tsing Yi in Hong Kong. • Numerous infrastructure projects for the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) West Rail line. Diane was an extremely “visual” person. She was always absorbing visual reference material, either mentally or in beautifully observed drawings in her sketchbooks. She drew her inspiration from many sources, but often from the important landscapes in her life including the rolling drumlin landscape of Co Down where she spent time as a child, in the shadow of the Mourne mountains and south east Asia, where she travelled widely Diane maintained detailed sourcebooks and sketchbooks throughout her career which reflect a widespread and eclectic taste. She was very particular, with a keen eye for detail and presentation in everything she set her mind to. She really enjoyed using colour and was equally at ease with big, bold, daring colour schemes as she was with subtle sophisticated ones. She had a very heightened sense for exactly the right hue and tone. Diane was an excellent sketch artist both in design development and for her own pleasure. Her drawings would often use multiple layers of coloured pencils or captured the curve of a human form in a simple sweep of charcoal Her designs reflected a strong contemporary style and her interests in all things Asian - the lush, tropical plants of south east Asia – their bold, architectural forms and textures and their wonderful vibrant greenness; the gardens of Bali and Kyoto; exotic fabrics and textiles; dark teak traditional Thai houses, crumbling Buddhist temples, ornate Burmese wooden rice boxes and simple Chinese earthenware water jars, bright red laquerware bowls…… and all things French! She was meticulously organised and highly methodical in her approach to work. She approached whatever she took on with energy and vitality, and always pushed herself to the

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very limit. Her sometimes quiet demeanour belied her really lively, vibrant, active character; she loved nothing better than living life to the full - power walking up remote mountains; camping rough on the beach; dancing or skiing; entertaining at home. She was a perfectionist for detail and presentation in everything she set her mind to. Initially a Senior Landscape Architect, Diane quickly rose to Principal Landscape Architect with Cunnane Stratton Reynolds and headed the expanding design team in the Dublin office. As well as being instrumental in putting in place quality management systems and procedures, Diane brought a strong artistic design capacity to the practice, supported by the practical experience to build and deliver the concepts envisaged. As well as larger projects such as Technology and Business Parks for the IDA in Carlow and Arklow, Diane designed Whiteacre Park for Ballymun Regeneration in Dublin as well as numerous private sector residential developments and was able to draw on her wide experience for the increasing

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number of luxury apartment developments throughout the country. She was an all round designer who’s career spanned the CAD age and the earlier hand drawing era – in this regard she brought a talent for high quality hand graphics to all her projects, whether beautifully drawn / rendered plans or illustrations, sketches and sections with no need for further embellishment. This capacity and skill for sketching ideas, often overlooked in the digital age, meant that ideas were always well thought out and considered in all dimensions. Diane was keen to promote and enhance the profession she felt so strongly about. It was a huge achievement for her to be elected President of the Irish Landscape Institute in 2003 and 2004– not only the youngest ever President of the Institute but also the first woman to hold the office. She took on this responsibility on top of her already demanding position at CSR at a time when Ireland was at the peak of it’s construction boom – and whilst simultaneously balancing her career with motherhood after the birth of her first child, Caitlin. It was typical of her to take on so much and yet still

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manage to successfully achieve on all fronts. The arrival of her second child Tom in 2005 changed the focus of her life towards nurturing her family. Just before return from maternity leave in November 2005 Diane’s illness was diagnosed. She still returned and attended work on a part-time basis and continued to be a key part of the team at CSR, leading design teams and overseeing a number of key projects of the practice. Her husband Peter has told us that she loved her work and remained completely dedicated to any projects that she committed herself to irrespective of her own circumstances. “I think ultimately it was her creative drive that needed to be satisfied- she was never without a sketchbook and pencils, even up to her last trip to hospital.” In 2007 and early 2008 Diane developed the design concepts and a masterplan for the proposed Ballyfermot Civic Space for Dublin City Council. A new town square for this 1940’s suburb of Dublin. Designed with an approach reflecting the

artistic movements of the early to mid 20th century, this was to be Diane’s last project. Her health deteriorated in late Summer last year and, although she still came to the office to assist when she could, eventually this came to an end. Diane passed away on 27th October 2008 at St. Vincents Hospital in Dublin. As a colleague, she is sorely missed for her skills, professionalism and humour. Leaving a broad range of work behind her in her short career, there is no doubt that Diane was a talented designer/place-maker with so much more to contribute to Ireland’s built environment. We can respect her memory by seeking inspiration in her ambition and desire to create beautiful contemporary places. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family. by Declan O’Leary, Director Cunanne Stratton Reynolds with assistance from Peter Nickels.

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o l

by Vidhya Mohankumar

Aerial photo of Srirangam with temple precinct at centre

Before the Industrial Revolution, settlement patterns of cities were predominantly governed by religion, secular power and trade. The holy dimension of these cities was manifest in both physical as well as metaphysical forms. Indian cities, particularly South Indian Hindu cities of the past were invariably based on an articulated pattern derived from Hindu ritual objectives thereby becoming a direct cultural manifestation of the people that inhabited them. Built predominantly by kings of various dynasties that flourished in the region, the sites of these cities were chosen usually through geomancy or sometimes peculiarly through divine intervention interpreted by prophesiers. However in all cases, the temple formed the core of the settlement and the same sacred diagram was used for both the temple and the settlement that was built around it. The temple precinct and its main shrine at the centre of the precinct always faced the eastern sun and were aligned along the cardinal axes defined by ‘gopurams’ or gateways. ‘Gopurams’ are pylonlike structures of monumental scale, cuboidal at the base and tapering as it scaled the heights. The doorway at the base of the gopuram would provide the perfect vista to the inner sanctum of the temple where the main deity was housed and the door itself was usually made of timber and always measured more than twice the average human height. Gopurams which defined the skylines of these cities are comprised of many hundreds of mythological/ religious figurines depicting stories from the sacred Hindu scriptures. The figurines were usually brightly coloured if not left in original stone texture. A primary street was then defined around the temple P 28

precinct and used as a perambulation route for deities on giant sized chariots. In larger settlements, this translated into a series of concentric streets. Along these streets, quarters were demarcated for different castes/professional groups namely the ‘Brahmins’ (teachers, scholars and priests), the ‘Kshatriyas’ (kings and warriors), the ‘Vaishyas’ (agriculturists and traders) and ‘Shudras’ (service providers and artisans). The Brahmins regarded as the upper caste and who would perform the religious rituals and rites at the temple always inhabited the street immediately outside of the temple precinct overlooking the temple tank and the Shudras regarded as the lower caste always inhabited the quarter furthest away from the temple precinct. The sacred diagram of the settlement was therefore also an iconography of the social hierarchy prevalent during those times. It is important to note however that although the urban form of such settlements has survived, the social hierarchy has blurred to give way to a more cosmopolitan setup in the present day. Srirangam Probably the most legible and pristine of all such Hindu cosmic cities is Srirangam. Situated in the state of Tamil Nadu along the river Cauvery.. Srirangam is home to Vishnu or ‘The Protector’, of the Holy Trinity of the Hindu religion. The town is comprised of 7 concentric zones of which the inner 4 form the temple precinct and the outer 3 are residential quarters. The first 2 concentric streets just outside the temple precinct are occupied by ‘Brahmins’ as also the northwest and southeast corners of the 3rd street. The remainder of the quarters is left for the ‘Vaishyas’ in the northeast and ‘Shudras’ in the southwest.

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Panorama of Srirangam from across the river Cauvery

Another key feature of Srirangam are the 8 large water tanks scattered about the concentric zones for ablutions by pilgrims and on a ritualistic objective again, by moving along these tanks the pilgrim circumambulates the town 3 times. A ninth tank can be found within the temple precinct itself. As for Srirangam’s skyline, the cardinal directions are marked by 22 magnificent gopurams that decrease in height from the edge to centre offering by far one of the most breathtaking bird’s eye views of an Indian city. Edmund Bacon, renowned urban planner, said in his book ‘Design of Cities’ that the form of a city is determined by the multiplicity of decisions made by the people who live in it and ‘in certain circumstances these decisions have interacted to produce a force of such clarity and form that a noble city has been born’. Perhaps he was referring to these very temple towns of South India.

Plan of Srirangam temple precinct

Vidhya Mohankumar currently works as an architect & urban designer at The Madras Office for Architects and Designers in Chennai, India. Vidhya worked with Murray Ó Loaire Architects in Dublin from 2006-08.

View of Gopuram

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L i m e r i c k - o n - S h a n n o n by Dave Ryan

As a Landscape Architect my training and experience helps me see the broader perspective in our urban and rural environments. Every built structure is connected within the landscape and my profession is about understanding how this built environment is connected at planning level, but also at the physical building level. Landscape Architects need to be employed more to work in conjunction with Engineers, Planners and other professions, to protect and improve the landscape of our towns and cities, to ensure proper plan aesthetics and design, in turn improving quality of life for everyone in our community. A starting point for Landscape Architects and Planners in their work is the study of the built heritage. The photographic recording of this is a worthwhile tradition even here for public display. Such recordings are important where people don’t have time to appreciate their surroundings, perhaps engrossed in day to day living. These recordings can serve to engage the public’s appreciation for engineering and architectural achievements, encouraging a public awareness of the built heritage and its role in future development. My interest in Photography has developed hand in hand

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with my career, as a very useful tool in survey and analysis work. And the built heritage is of particular interest to me, as is the question of how we can combine it successfully into our developing environments. Here I study through the lens, the bridges of Limerick, and attempted to capture the spirit of these structures in the context of their surrounds. The bridges and the river itself are without doubt the most important aspect of Limericks built and natural heritage, very much the back bone of the city. So for me this is my beginning in trying to appreciate the heritage of Limerick, in developing my own structured ideas as a Landscape Architect, on how Limerick is to evolve in the future. My compositions are an attempt to stimulate your interest in the subject matter. The bridges of Limerick are symbolic signposts that remind us of past achievements, but all can be appreciated in the here and now. In the present economic climate where many of us now have more time, I would encourage you to appreciate the fantastic heritage that is around us in the city today. I believe that developing an appreciation of our heritage is an important aspect to landscape and planning improvements for our developing city bridging into the future.

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Shannon Bridge

Above: Athlunkard Bridge

Dave Ryan is a Landscape Architect and Landscape Photographer based in Limerick. Dave held an exhibiton of his work at Dooradoyle Public Library from February 12th to March 7th of this year. T h e O f f i c i a l J o u r n a l o f t h e I r i s h L a n d s c a p e I n s t i t u t e , S p r i n g 2 0 0 9 P 33

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On location:

S o u t h

B a n k

B r i s b a n e

by Brian Nolan

Aerial of South Bank Parklands

South Bank is located a short distance from the central business district on the south side of the Brisbane River, this multi layered public open space provides enjoyment for locals and nine million visitors a year. Once a derelict port, the 17 hectare site provided an ideal space for Brisbane to host World Expo 1988. Post Expo, commercial development planned by the Queensland Government was successfully halted by public lobbying, an outcome which ensured the parkland was returned to the people. South Bank Corporation, a statutory Queensland Government Body was founded to manage and develop the site as parklands. The slogan ‘South Bank Always Creating’ is used to brand the parklands; capturing the spirit of a place that is constantly changing to meet the city’s needs. Promenades, rainforest garden, boardwalks, picnic areas, play spaces and a manmade beach materialised from an evolving master plan and open space strategy. Recent additions include the observation Wheel of Brisbane, interactive water play zone, and a lifestyle market. The parkland particularly lends itself to entertainment, concerts, outdoor movies, festivals, art and culture. The transition of this space from an Expo site to multi-use parklands is a great model for other redevelopment sites, demonstrated by the numbers and diversity of users visiting and enjoying the precinct year round.

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Companies are invited to sponsor the main attractions in return for naming rights and the majority of the events held in the Parklands are in partnership with sponsors. Educational, retail and dining ventures are integrated into the site, ensuring constant footfall and additional income. Smart planning and investment by South Bank Corporation has resulted in a high quality finish at every stage of construction. A seamless landscape is created through a consistent approach to furniture, landscape and architectural detailing. Design for subtropical life style is apparent throughout; shade is provided by vegetation, structures and shelters, cleverly integrated into the landscape. The use of native plants helps to reduce maintenance and more importantly, water consumption in times of drought. South Bank Corporation manages funds the maintenance; with a significant level of investment ensuring maintenance is continually to a very high standard. The end result of this care and attention to detail helps reduce vandalism and keep crime levels to a minimum. Location, accessibility, land use and connectivity also influenced the success of South Bank. The parklands are adjacent the city’s cultural centre which contains

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The beach and swimming area

Wheel of Brisbane

Queensland State Theatre and Library, art galleries, and Brisbane Convention Centre. Numerous transport options are available, such as train, ferry, car, bus, bicycle and foot, the parklands have a legible path network and strategically placed way finding signage. Significant levels of investment have increased physical assets and South Bank has become a popular, highly utilised, well-run public facility and a much-loved Brisbane icon that engages successfully with people, climate and place. Brian is a graduate of the undergraduate landscape programme at UCD and is presently working in the Brisbane studio of EDAW.

Bougainvillea Arbour

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Project profile:

Revenue Commissioner’s Office Listowel by Greg Devlin

Listowel is like many of these Irish towns, - full of life, full of stories, full of people, - despite the changes. Listowel still retains the image of John B. Keane; his statue is there for everybody to see. Writers’ Week continues his dreams, as does Race Week. The main square in Listowel displays its interest in many ways, among which is the choice of fascinating pieces of sculpture and smart street furniture. And the main square still allows for a farmers’ market every Friday morning. The old Church of Ireland church is still there too, standing elegantly where it is re-used as an Arts Centre. The search for accommodation for the Revenue Commissioners’ decentralised offices in Listowel was driven by respect for these unique features. The organisation and management of the town is reflected in the quality of these features, and in the colourful expression of shop fronts, public houses, banks and dwellings. People still live in the centre of the town. In examining Listowel we were confronted by two choices: greenfield sites on the edge of the town versus regeneration near the centre. We examined at least eighteen different sites, most of which were on the perimeter. However, there was an old supermarket site in the centre of the town. The

old supermarket site had been formed within a triangle made up by the intersection of three roads less than a few hundred metres north of the main square. The site was formerly a dairy and before that a granary. A proposal emerged from one of the developers suggesting a two-storey re-development of the supermarket site. This was subject to planning permission; was in some ways over designed, (it also included a two storey car park); and in other ways it was under-designed, (it had a very deep plan and ignored the benefits of natural ventilation). However, as the planning process developed, the two-storey car park was omitted and natural ventilation and natural light became a reality with the use of an internal landscaped courtyard to break up the deep plan. The courtyard garden designed by landscape architect Lisa McKnight has its centrepiece a reflecting pool and water feature with timber benches provided for sitting. To date Revenue staff are pleased with the new workplace and the benefits of an tranquil and light giving garden. Greg devlin is a Senior Architet with the Office of Public Works (OPW)

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B o o k Re v i e w :

Placing Architecture ‘Placing Architecture’ authored and published by Irish American architect and artist Patti O’Neill; is an insightful and quirky narrative of a creative working process. The subject of this compact volume is of a methodology for creativity and art making told through three landscape specific case studies; an island off the North Sea coast of Germany, the deserts of New Mexico and Irish Boglands. Through each case study Patti brings us through the creative journey. Raw natural landscapes studied over long periods are dissected, then translated onto canvas as abstract non figurative paintings and sketches (into art). From representation as two dimensional art the landscapes are developed into three dimensional architecture in the form of physical models or sculpture, digital modelling and architectural construction drawings. Placing Architecture is refreshingly concise and generously illustrated with the artists studies and artworks. A book of undoubted interest and benefit to teachers and tutors of visual and landscape design. With its legible road mapping of a methodology for creativity; one can readily appreciate the usefulness of such a methodology within the academic and professional design studio. The publication of ‘Placing Architecture’ was part funded by the Irish Arts Council, The Heritage Council, Limerick City Council, Limerick County Council and North Tipperary County Council. Published by A.K.Ilen Company, ISBN: 978-095479915-3-7

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B o o k Re v i e w :

European Landscape Architecture, Best Practice in Detailing This book is in essence an assemblage of case studies of landscape architecture from the recent past. The book is immediately likeable by virtue of the quality of work covered. This book avoids barnstorming and lingers on each project in satisfying detail. Although titled as a critique on best practice detailing; the case studies are holistic descriptions of the project journey, describing the original design concepts and intent and the process of realising the projects through detail design and construction. Whilst the quality of photography and the finish of the printed paper is ordinary by comparison with other publications, the quality of this book is in the range of illustrative material encompassing concepts sketches, presentation drawings, linework sections, details, planting plans and photographs. The story of each case study is well researched and narrated; not by the project author but by an independent landscape architect from the locality. The book include two Irish case studies; Smithfield Plaza by McGarry Ní Éanagh Architects and Dublin’s O’Connell St by Mitchell & Associates. The case studies chosen are eclectic in range and not prejudiced to any specific school of design or style. An accessible volume that can be read cover to cover or shelved on the library for regular browsing and reference. Published by Routledge, ISBN: 978-0-415-30737-6

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CLASSIFIEDS

C o r k D o c k l a n d s R e a l m D e s i g n

P u b l i c

Cork City Council invites Expressions of Interest from a multidisciplinary consultancy team including suitably qualified and experienced Landscape Architects, Architects & Urban Designers, Art Consultants, Civil and Structural Engineers, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers and Quantity Surveyors in relation to the design of the Public Realm in Cork Docklands. The services required will involve the preparation of a world class design of the full extent of the public realm within the North & South Docks areas including designs of streetscapes, pocket parks, neighbourhood parks and linear parks, plazas, 2.5 km of quayside amenity area, water features, cycleways/pedestrian routes to Part 8 Planning stage. Project documentation is available on the www.etenders.gov.ie website The closing date for submission of Expressions of Interest is 16.00 on Friday 5th June 2009. Patrick Ledwidge, Director of Services, Docklands Directorate, Cork City Council

ADVERTISING & SPONSORSH I P OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE IRI S H LANDSCAPE INSTITUTE The biennial conference, annual design awards and lecture series are some of the events currently being organised by the ILI for which sponsors are sought. April has been designated as World Landscape Architecture Month. To celebrate the ILI are curating an ‘exhibition of contemporary landscape architecture in Ireland’ which will be held in the atrium of the Dublin City Council offices from April 21 - 25th and April 28th - May 2nd. There are six categories of ‘sponsorship’ with a hierarchy of benefits offered : • • • • • •

Lead Sponsors of the ILI World Landscape Architecture Month ILI Conference Sponsors ILI Design Awards Sponsor ILI Lecture Series Sponsor Advertising and classifieds in LANDSCAPE IRELAND

All enquiries to: Margaret Egan, ILI Sponsorship Committee: margaret.egan@mitchellassoc.net

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